tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post5350587649172963803..comments2023-10-06T20:40:16.011-07:00Comments on Scientist Gone Wordy: Bid Time Return by Richard MathesonRachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12471937819219493034noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-90185387976371310982012-07-25T19:51:47.451-07:002012-07-25T19:51:47.451-07:00Hi Debbie! Welcome, and thank you for the very tho...Hi Debbie! Welcome, and thank you for the very thoughtful comment. Very interesting point regarding the lack of dimension in Elise and the possibility that it's deliberate. Coincidentally, I was recently having a conversation about love affairs in scifi situations and it was noted that so many of them didn't have much explanation, for lack of a better word, behind them and that they were often these immediately in love sort of things. I wonder if this was following in that tradition. Thanks again for sharing your perspective!Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12471937819219493034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-66329977387722388262012-07-23T13:38:31.856-07:002012-07-23T13:38:31.856-07:00I absolutely LOVED this book! I liked the movie as...I absolutely LOVED this book! I liked the movie as well but not as much as I liked the book. I liked all the details, however mundane, in the novel-it made the book seem much more like a real narrative dictated/written by Richard Collier. I like how Matheson writes the book and makes the reader question whether the story really happened or if it was a delusion. I actually dislike most romances as I find them boring and commonplace. I see 'Bid Time Return' as more of a psychological or a supernatural adventure, much more intriguing than most romance novels.Debbie K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13757232231622652290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-33921400154523432662012-07-23T13:32:58.451-07:002012-07-23T13:32:58.451-07:00P.S. Perhaps Matheson made the character of Elise ...P.S. Perhaps Matheson made the character of Elise more one-dimensional than that of Richard because she COULD be a complete figment of his imagination (because of his temporal lobe brain tumor) and an imaginary character tends to not have as much depth as a real life person. It's up for the reader to decide. There are a lot of parts in the book to make you think Elise may not be real. But then, there are parts of the book that make you think, or at least want to believe, that Richard's account really happened.Debbie K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13757232231622652290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-88590308385119272492012-07-23T13:26:54.215-07:002012-07-23T13:26:54.215-07:00I absolutely LOVED this book! I liked the movie as...I absolutely LOVED this book! I liked the movie as well but not as much as I liked the book. I liked all the details, however mundane, in the novel-it made the book seem much more like a real narrative dictated/written by Richard Collier. I like how Matheson writes the book and makes the reader question whether the story really happened or if it was a delusion. I actually dislike most romances as I find them boring and commonplace. I see 'Bid Time Return' as more of a psychological or a supernatural adventure, much more intriguing than most romance novels.Debbie K.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13757232231622652290noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-51952893872939008742011-08-08T19:18:29.551-07:002011-08-08T19:18:29.551-07:00I can't think of one. Unless we do a classic, ...I can't think of one. Unless we do a classic, my favorite Romances are not films. I will keep my mind open to an idea if one comes to me. We could always do a Special Feature of sorts where I choose a Romance for you to read (you know, a bit of witnessing in the hopes of making a convert:) and we discuss. I've seen some of these done in a multi-part manner so as to get reactions as you're reading. Could be fun...<br /><br />ATONEMENT, while very romantic at times, definitely does not count as a Romance if speaking in genre terms. However, that is a pairing wherein I liked the book much better because the number one most interesting aspect of the book (almost the only thing that rescued the book for me) was not used in the movie. And, of course, Kiera Knightly is not in the book. :)Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12471937819219493034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-32198749129251987082011-08-03T22:07:35.733-07:002011-08-03T22:07:35.733-07:00Great points, Rachel. So, is there a romance novel...Great points, Rachel. So, is there a romance novel/film pairing you'd like to try? Would <i>Atonement</i> by Ian McEwan qualify as romance? Thanks, Rachel.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-23529167668946408072011-08-03T20:47:30.715-07:002011-08-03T20:47:30.715-07:00Hey Michael,
I certainly agree that the movie is ...Hey Michael,<br /><br />I certainly agree that the movie is better. In fact, I think even had I liked the book more I still would have thought the movie was better. This type of story works better for me on film than in a book. But, yes, I think my familiarity with Romance probably makes me a more critical reader of some of the traditional Romance elements. <br /><br />Side note: I think this romance is taken more seriously than traditional Romances due to the author (which is great because I love authors who push and break boundaries) but also because of its ending. The ending is the only thing that keeps this from being a traditional Romance and I wonder what it is that keeps us, as a culture, from taking things seriously that have "happy" endings. Why do we view them as trite? I think this can also be seen when people say "I don't read genre fiction" like it's some kind of badge of honor. Ok, fine, read what you like I say but why is fiction only "literary" when the endings/stories are depressing? Why is fulfillment and happiness trite? I live a very fulfilled and happy life and I don't think it's unrealistic or trite. I work very hard to have the life I want, why don't we value that as piece of art if it is conveyed via the entertainment venue? This is something that always pokes at my mind.<br /><br />Side note2: Ironically most romances end with the hint of children because, apparently, the only satisfied life is the life of partners that produce children but, for me, that is a very unhappy ending. :) hehe<br /><br /><br />So very true about the beginning pre-dying revelation. At the very beginning it's really hard to figure out why this guy felt this stuff needed to be written down. Learning that he is going to die really puts his thoughts and actions into perspective.<br /><br />I liked Elise's interactions with Robinson because I felt you got a better idea of what kind of person she actually was. This, though, is part of the reason the end wasn't moving for me. I mean, I prefer Elise's interactions with a jerky character and not the hero? Oi! Makes it hard to be engaged in the ending when that is how I feel while I am reading. No need to re-hash that, though. ;)<br /><br />I'm also glad we did it as it's definitely a bit of a turn from our usual type. It's good to venture out of habits, right? And speaking of, if you ever decide to try your hand at an honest-to-goodness Romance do let me know and I'll steer you in the right direction. <br /><br />Can't wait for our next one!Rachelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12471937819219493034noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2856065630155928814.post-85856039627221795072011-08-01T19:38:06.802-07:002011-08-01T19:38:06.802-07:00Another of your fine book dissections, Rachel. I k...Another of your fine book dissections, Rachel. I know they all can't work for you, and your reasoning, especially given you're well acquaintance with the romance genre, makes a whole lot of sense. Both of us experienced the film way before we ever gave the source material a read (you with the text and me with its audiobook counterpart). Perhaps, because of that, I enjoyed the book less than the movie, but more than you.<br /><br />Initially, I found the start tough going, up until Richard Collier's confession that he was dying young of a brain tumor. Then it did begin to capture some of my curiosity since it was different on film. Some of the dissimilarities I did enjoy: the two predictions come from psychics rather than the Robinson character alone, the touching remembrance by Collier's brother as he recounts Richard's last days, and the fact there wasn't a time paradox with that watch.<br /><br />Of course, there were those things I could have done without (some of them you summarized very well). I think, given Matheson's composition and the idea behind it all, I was less critical of some of the writing because a) it was a hybrid of genres (though some things worked and others didn't), and b) I don't see this as a 'romance' novel in the parameters (or more truthfully my idea of what they are) of the genre. Still, his (Matheson scrawling as Collier's character) writing does change when he's back in 1896 much like the era that he's in is enveloping him and I found that interesting.<br /><br />And yet, I was moved at the end. Surprisingly so given the ups and downs I experienced with the characters. Although, I loved the way Matheson handled that 'doormat' remark by Elise to Robinson in both the novel and the film. They were both different so far as their medium, but still the sting of her words were well evident. I can see how readers of the book could gravitate and enjoy it in the 70s, before the film arrived. I don't <i>hate</i> the book. I think the film adaptation may have tinged my reading in the final analysis.<br /><br />I'm glad we took a look at this though, Rachel. Thanks for giving it a go in the series.le0pard13https://www.blogger.com/profile/09421175808461787862noreply@blogger.com